Boko Haram says Shekau is ‘alive’

09/10/2015

LAGOS, Oct 8, (AFP): Boko Haram said in a new video on Wednesday that its elusive leader Abubakar Shekau was alive and still in charge of the Nigeria-based Islamist group whose six-year insurgency has killed thousands. “Our leader, Abubakar Shekau is alive and remains our leader,” declared a gun-wielding man surrounded by dozens of fighters in the 17-minute video in Arabic and Hausa that was posted on social media. “Our allegiance remains with (Abu Bakr) al-Baghadadi,” added the man who has appeared in previous Boko Haram videos, referring to the leader of the Islamic State group that has seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq.